WISDOM
OF THE SAGES
EPISODE III: SPRING 2017
EPISODE III: SPRING 2017
Hello
People of the World;
Well,
here we are in the merry old month of March. While the snows have stopped, for
now, the rain has begun. You know, like it does every spring. It never ceases
to surprise me when people are caught off-guard by the rain that happens in
SPRING! Why are people surprised that it rains? Rain happens. Sheesh. The Earth
turns last time I checked…
All
right, let’s get going:
1:[ As some of you know, I am the director of a
non-profit film festival that screens Native American-directed films. However,
as is usual, many local non-profits have come to be pressured into the
Non-Profit Danger of “Mission Creep”, where your organization, because it
serves a very specific purpose, people will always try to make your
organization bend to their will and work in other areas outside of your
mission, just so they can fucking show-off.
This
typically comes in the form of the so-self-called “Ideas People”. You get them
from time to time, a person who joins up and rather than volunteering to do the
real work for mission goals, say that they are more “an Ideas Person” and sit
back and offer only “ideas”. Meaning, they will simply throw out ideas to make
your organization do things it was never deemed to do, just so they can work on
the easy shit that they want to do instead. Then, when you do not use their
“ideas” they get mad and quit. Face it; “Ideas People” are clown shit, literal
clown shit, meaning: half-digested birthday cake and mint schnapps… (Thanks to
CRACKED Video for that one)
While
I have nothing against with coming up with new, fresh ideas, they have to be in
support of your mission. Steer away from “mission creep” because, for some
reason, in the Native American community here, there is this need for any
Native organization to be “All things to all Natives”. Meaning, no matter what
you set out to do, someone will always come on board to try and shape it to
their ends, mainly because they could not get work at other Native American
organizations, trying to do the shit they do. So, they go to another, smaller
organization and throw around ideas so they can do their shit there. This happens
so often, that many of the Native American organizations here end up competing
with one another instead of working together. Mostly it is in competition for
the same 20 – 30 constituents that use the programs offered.
We
are simply a film festival that screens Native-directed films for general
audiences. Our constituents are our general audiences who attend the festival and
the Native American directors that submit films. That’s it. We are working to
build ourselves up around those missions. Trying to be all things for all
Natives simply spreads our resources thin and places us in a useless
competition for funds and audience. That is not fair, nor smart. Drop the ideas
to give yourself work and work to generate ideas to help us with the more
abstract and deeper ideas of the mission. Don’t creep our mission towards your
ends just because you cannot make it at other places….
2:[ I happened to attend a presentation by Omaskêko
Cree artist, Duane Linklater, who discussed his work, which I love, and he
mentioned something that almost no one ever says about the Great Canadian
Subterfuge. He comes from one of the treaty reserves in Canada and has been
witness to the utterly overlooked history of the Canadian government’s
treatment of First Nations people.
The
biggest lie that Canada has gotten away with is how they have come to be seen
as this benevolent, friendly neighbor to the north. When in reality, they have
a harsher, at times, more cruel history and present when dealing with First Nations
people. Linklater stated that he watched the recent Trudeau/Trump meeting and
while everyone was sharing their obvious contradictory personas, Linklater
found that they shared a disturbing common one: “Mineral Extraction”.
If
anyone cares to learn the histories of either the United States or Canada, know
how ruthless both are when it comes to dealing with mineral extraction from
Native lands. There was the Oka Resistance back in the 90’s, and the Elsiboqtoq
protests and the militarized reactions to those. This can also be seen with the
recent NoDAPL protests. So, I no longer see Canada as this great bright hope of
what the Untied States could be. In
many ways, they already are like the US….
3:[ LOGAN directed by James Mangold – (Minor
Spoilers): I was the Batman Guy in high school and a bit of a Math Nerd. One
day a buddy of mine shows me his drawing of Wolverine stabbing Batman and all
the gang laughs as if it were a put down. "Wolverine is more badass than
Batman!" was the refrain. I had to agree. I, being the resident Comic Book
Geek, had to tell them what was cool about Wolverine and that they could not
fight because they belonged to different comic book companies. Yeah, I was that
kind of Know-It-All Shithead. (PS: Knowing about Pop Culture DOES NOT make you
a "nerd".)
Wolverine
is cool and a badass and I drew him in my notebooks as much as I did Batman. I
used to draw a reservation version that wore a mullet and a Batman t-shirt.
When the X-Men movies started I too was very much disappointed by the actor
selected to play Wolverine. But he had won me over by the time "Days of
Future Past" came around.
To
wit, the Top Movie Review Team went out and caught this, the final film with
Hugh Jackman as the X-Man, Wolverine, "Logan". It is indeed a somber
affair, of a story about a man who has to learn to give a shit again about the
world. Here, we find Logan, hiding out with sickened Professor X and Caliban in
2029's Mexico. All is revealed as a young girl is suddenly thrust into their
lives looking for help. They hit the road on the run from the Reavers who seek
to recapture her.
This
is the best X-Men film to date. I will not argue that. But for some reason, it
did not hit me as it has so many other viewers and reviewers. Indeed, I was
touch by the emotional ending. I love stories about fathers and daughters. Yet,
once I saw the X-24, it was a big, loud reminder that it is indeed a comic book
movie. In fact, when the inevitable backlash happens with this film, the X-24
will be at the top of the grievances. For me, it felt a tiny bit like the
Silver Samurai all over again.
I
mean, everyone likens it to a western, or a drama, or a road trip movie, even
an indie film, but for that X-24, which was just a glaring reminder to me that
it is very much a comic book movie. For as good as it is, I was just not as
moved at the story, or as sad that this is Jackman's last go as Wolverine I
everyone else. I'm just not. Is it a good movie? Yes, a damn good one. Is it a
good send-off for Hugh? Absolutely. Just don't expect me to lose my shit just
because this "dark" and somber affair validates me as an adult that
likes comic book movies. (PS: fans tend to confuse "dark" with
"complex". I mean look at how deified "The Empire Strikes
Back" has become as a result of that mix up.)
I
think all of the pre-release hype, promotions, and great reviews elevated my
expectations beyond what they should have been. Where it should have exceeded
those expectations, they were meet, which is not a bad thing at all, but it is
on some level a tiny bit disappointing. Please. Make no mistake; I think this
is THE BEST XMEN FILM TO DATE. It is what I want from my comic book movies in
fact. This should be the baseline for all comic book movies, this and "The
Dark Knight", which it has been compared to.
Everything
assembled here is great, acting, action, characters, scenarios, and
cinematography. This is pop art elevated to high art. So, put on your Wolvie t-shirt,
and your neck beard, and go have a good bro-cry for the sixteenth time. HIGH
RECOMMENDATION
4:[ How we react to info: What Twitter has done –
What started me on this train of thought was riding around with Bonnie and
seeing how many idiots hold up traffic at the stoplights because they cannot go
fucking 10 seconds without looking at their damn cell phones. We are slowly
being conditioned to be screen-watchers. Drivers think that they have to reply
to a fucking tweet right that damn second. Come on.
One
study states that most students cannot go an hour without looking at their
phones. It is all distraction. I keep returning to Neil Postman’s idea about
how going from an oral tradition to a typographic society to a televised one,
changed the value of “truth”. Now, look at how Twitter and Facebook changed
that with their instant gratification of information, not facts; that we begin
to push forward unreliable information as truth, as fact. We have to be first
with information to be seen as smart. Twitter has been horrible for us. It has
turned us into a reactionary society rather than an analytical one.
We
no longer read to understand, we read only to react….
5:[ I have had this happen to me lately. On a
recent project, I had the temerity to point out how this agitprop idea of “Diversity”
will always cost Native Americans a seat at the table of representation, which
is never costly to those non-Natives in control of the representation. In an
ironic twist, I was proven right, by getting kicked off the project just so the
person in charge could maintain that control over the representation of Native
peoples, situations, and culture, and use them for their own aims. Sure, it was
angering, but I did my best to be clear and concise with my perspective, but it
was dismissed in the end. When I brought up how much Natives had lost in the
making of this country, I was told that I could not speak to the pain of all
Natives. Which, hypocritically, this person stated all the pains and tortures
their people had been through. So, basically: I can’t but they can.
The
downside of diversity in sharing market space at the table of representation
means Natives will never be able to own their own experiences or pains or struggles
unless a white hand is there to guide it. That’s fucked up. You should see how
far they will go to justify this. Some stating that darker skin color does not
automatically allow you to make art that represents yourself. (Yes, I have seen
these articles posted around!) People will always look at Native Americans
differently than others. Whenever a people of a race or religion speak about
their pains and troubles, we all listen and sympathize. But then, when Native
Americans ask you to look at how you are representing them, their histories,
suddenly, “You can’t speak to all suffering!”
This
happens only to Native Americans and First Nations people because many are
conditions to see us as always the enemy to defeat, even on a subconscious
level. This person automatically took an adversarial stance to my own. While
they could whip out the race card or gender card, I could even state that I am
allowed to own my experience as a Native person. I had to be defeated in the
name of their art, while they hypocritically stifled my place in the “shared
space” of diversity, which they “own” and rendering my voice absent, so they
can maintain that representational control over Native culture. Yes, it still
happens among the leftist-enlightened.
It
always seems that Native people cannot gather to discuss their own pains and
struggles, to find their own solutions and healing, without the stifling hand
of diversity creeping in to steal voices and take spaces at the table. I am
constantly reminded of Langston Hughes’ poem in times such as these….
6:[ I have to laugh at how every generation truly
believes that it is the epitome of society, that, that somehow, their
touchstones of art, philosophy, of technology will be remembered (pronounced
“re-member-ED”) throughout time and by the time they are putting in their
dentures, they can complain that “Metallica” or “AC/DC” was “real” music.
Fucking, get over your selves. You are irrelevant now, as kids these days don’t. give. a. fuck. about what you
listened to.
7:[ On Boycotts: A Reiteration - I have been
reading (On Facebook, mind you, so take it as you will) about the new Oberweis
Controversy, though I cannot find what the controversy is about, I have been
inundated with calls for boycotting the business to make a point. It immediately
put me in mind of the whole Chik-fil-A boycott a few years back. It was another
controversy wherein people were offended at the CEO’s opinion of Same-Sex
Marriage and called for a boycott of the business.
Guess
what? It didn’t work. He still holds his opinion and Same-Sex Marriage was later
made rule of law for the United States, and we moved on. Same Sex Marriage is
legal, but N not because we boycotted Chik-fil-A and changed the heart of its
CEO. Let’s face it, folks. Boycotts will NEVER WORK because someone, some
hidden, unknown individual will ALWAYS
BREAK THE BOYCOTT. No matter what business you are boycotting, you will
never get 100% of customers to quit it, because Wal*Mart has the cheapest
diapers, Taco Bell’s Fake Meat fucking tastes good. Basically, “Hey, I’ll sell
out my morals for waffle fries and lemonade!”
I
say all that in partial jest. It is true people will still go to Oberweis
because they serve awesome ice cream despite whatever the CEO said or believes.
The real reason people break the boycotts is because we know that real people
work at these places, and the local community knows them and goes there to
support them. All the folks behind the counter at either Oberweis or
Chik-fil-A, are neither homophobic or advocates of spousal abuse, or propping
up Republican candidates, but simply need to work to support themselves and
their families. The local communities see this and can forgive a staff worker
flipping burgers for working under such an asshole. It’s human nature; empathy.
Besides,
there are better, more effective ways to make your point to a jackass who said
something you disagree with and with whom you will never meet face-to-face to
change their views. But someone, or a community entire, will always, always, break a boycott, no matter how
well intentioned it may be.
That
is it for this month.
Hopefully,
this is a more sustentative episode for you. I am bending some of my own rules
about delving into the political side of things but all in all, I hope you
glean something from this. I do write to please an audience. That is the
greatest biggest lie of art: no one, No One, NO ONE makes art “for themselves”.
As
always, I invite you to comment, correct, or contradict anything I write here.
I am open to a critical debate. Thanks for taking the time to check out what I
write here and I will see you in a month.
Until
next time, remember “I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to
control everything really are.”
2017
Ernest M Whiteman III